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U.S. divided about what should be done with ACA

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll has found that Americans are divided on the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The survey found that 26 percent of the country wants to repeal the entire law. Meanwhile, 30 percent want to expand the law, 19 percent want to keep it as-is and 17 percent want to scale it back.

The poll found that Republican respondents were more likely to want to scale back the law, rather than fully repealing it. Among the 26 percent of Americans who want to see the ACA repealed, 31 percent want to see the health care law just repealed and not replaced. About two-thirds want lawmakers to repeal the health care law and replace it with a Republican-sponsored alternative, with 42 percent wanting lawmakers to wait to repeal it until the details of a replacement plan have been figured out and 21 percent wanting lawmakers to repeal it immediately and figure out a replacement plan later.

The poll also found that while the public is split on the law overall, the individual components are largely popular, except for the law’s mandate that everyone purchase insurance or pay a fine. Provisions that prevent insurers from denying coverage for preexisting conditions and giving financial assistance to help people afford coverage enjoy 80 percent support among the general populace.